1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a socket connector for testing an IC (Integrated Circuit) package, and more particularly to a socket connector having means for driving a moving plate a horizontal direction along an upper surface of a socket body and including an actuating mechanism for driving the moving plate.
2. Description of Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,321 issued to Kazumi et al. on Aug. 6, 1991 discloses a socket connector for testing an IC package comprising a socket body, a moving plate, contact terminals passing through the socket body and the moving plate for making interconnection between the IC package and a circuit board, on which the socket connector is mounted. A lid and a pair of operating levers (6, 7) are provided upon the moving plate, working as means for driving the moving plate to move along a horizontal direction on an upper surface of the socket body. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 of Kazumi, each lever is connected to the moving plate via two shafts, that is, a fixed shaft (8, 10) and a translational shaft (9, 11). When the pair of the operating levers is pressed downwardly and pivoted about the fixed shafts respectively, the translational shafts povitably move toward substantially some direction and thereby driving the moving plate to move.
However, because of the pivotable movement of the translational shafts that directly drive the moving plate, it may cause the moving plate to move slantly and is thus likely to damage the contact terminals inserted thereof and break the interconnection between the contact terminals and the IC package.